Altos preços

High prices. Most items in supermarkets are wincingly expensive in Maputo. It can be a minefield shopping for anything than absolute basics, and close examination of labels is needed. There’s no point getting excited about a block of cheese, only to realise it costs $15. I don’t really know who is buying the very expensive items.

I need to cultivate a routine that gets me to the fresh food stalls in the central market. There are also wheelbarrow-type contraptions bursting with fruit and stationed on some street corners, but unpredictably.

The shopping habits of Maputo’s poor are day-to-day. As only basic provisions are affordable, people serve their daily needs using small bits of money to buy small amounts. Ultimately it will result in paying more over time, than buying in bulk.